Spring cleaning season is underway. It is a good time to clean up, declutter, improve your home and prepare for warmer months with travel, activity, guests and family.
One of the major focal points of a house are the windows. They have the power to let light in, bring warmth, life and highlight the best of what your house has to offer.
After long winters, and being cooped up inside, your windows might be detracting from your home’s beauty.
Here are three simple ways to beautify your windows during spring cleaning:
- Declutter your windows – During long seasons of being indoors, windows can attract many items, due to the light and access.
For starters, are there large pieces of furniture or shelving near your windows? Large boxy items like dressers, full sofas, hutches, and other big objects that detract and even block light from fully reflecting into the room. Pull these items away and place them on the opposite side of the room. This will allow all the light from outside to fill the room with ambient warmth, rather than being absorbed into these nearby furniture items.
Next are small items. Whether potted plants, trophies, ceramics, knick knacks and other items, they often tend to end up on the window sill for display. However, it makes for a busy and messy window area. Consider placing items of sentimental value in storage or in areas like frames and display chests. Free up the light and visibility of the window.
Finally, rethink your window coverings. Take a good look at your curtains or blinds. Are they old? Dirty? Outdated? Perhaps the colours don’t match with the rest of the house. Window coverings are an inexpensive, yet highly visible decor item in your home. Consider replacing these with newer, modern coverings. Room darkening coverings can be replaced with light filtering coverings (Like vinyl mini-blinds) to let more light in, while still providing privacy when needed. As for curtains, stick with neutral colours that match well with your other furniture, especially if your walls are white or off-white.
- Clean your windows
Windows can get dirty, filled with spots, streaks and grime, in less than a year. Spring is a good time to clean, as it is after most of the heavy winter rain, wind and snowfall. If you are a DIY homeowner, rags, water and basic window cleaning supplies like squeegees can be a good kit to keep handy for both outside and inside. If doing it yourself is not your thing, or your windows are dangerously out-of-reach, many local window cleaning companies can either do a once-annual, quarterly or even monthly window cleaning. Especially if you are preparing your house for rent or sale, this is a worthwhile investment and can be done by these professionals in an hour or two.
In addition to the interior and exterior glass, your screens should be cleaned, from all of the dust and grime that builds up in the mesh.
Together, this will make your windows look new, and add newness to your home.
- Replace your ugliest windows – Window replacement can be one of the best investments in your homes . . . especially for the most visible, and ugliest windows. If there are cracks, broken seals, condensation, or your old window is in a highly visible part of your house, like the living room, consider replacing your windows. Window replacement companies that install windows and doors regularly can cost effectively design, remove, install and follow up, making the whole process quick, within a day. It is a smart investment in your home, giving a new modern look, while reducing drafts, saving energy, reducing sound, and making your home warm and inviting. Best of all, you can have a return on investment of upwards of 80% of the project cost at resale. (1)
Overall, you can take these three simple steps to create a whole new environment in your home, and make your house clean, welcoming, full of light, and ready for spring!